How to fish for sheephead CALIFORNIA SHEEPHEAD{semicossyphus pulcher} This species is a “prodigious hermaphrodite” meaning it starts life as a female but ends up male. Most female sheephead switch at about 7 or 8 years and 12 inches. Females sheephead are pink in color and as they switch the head and rear third turn black. At all stages sheephead have large front teeth that are used to pry prey from rocks. Sheepheads diet includes crabs, mussels, snails, squid, sea urchins and sea cucumbers as typical food items. Found from the tip of Baja to Monterey sheephead habitat water from tide pools to 200 feet. The record for sheephead is 36# 4 ounces and the lucky angler must have had a heck of a fight. A sheephead will give you a strong tugging battle that it will often win by cutting you off in structure. Bait is most often used for sheephead with cut squid, clams and shrimp best. Fish for sheephead near the bottom around kelp or rocks with a fairly stiff rod of 6 to 7 feet and 20# test, a dropper loop rig works best with a sliding or rubber core sinker working as well. Unlike many other local fish sheephead are active in the colder water of winter. I have found some of the new shrimp scented baits work very well for sheephead.